Naomi Osaka.Photo: Kelly Defina/Getty
Naomi Osakais back in a women’s tennis final for the first time in over a year.
The 24-year-old defeated Belinda Bencic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the Miami Open women’s singles semifinal this week, securing the chance to fight for the title on Saturday in Florida.
She’ll play Poland’s Iga Swiatek, who is fresh off a win at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
Osaka told reporters after the semifinal that she focused on playing “one point at a time,” explaining, “I feel like if I was negative for a split second, I would have lost the match today,“according to CNN.
To secure her spot in the final, Swiatek, 20, defeated Jessica Pegula 6-2, 7-5.
Osaka last competed in a women’s tennis final in 2021, at the Australian Open. She was ultimately victorious in that match, winning her fourth Grand Slam singles title over Jennifer Brady.
She later withdrew from the 2021French Open, citing anxiety and depression. She alsowithdrew from Wimbledonlast year to take “personal time” before competing at theTokyo Summer Olympics, where she fell in the third round.
Osaka told reportersduring a Miami Open press conferencethat she looked for a therapist at the suggestion of her sister and coach after a spectator shouted “Naomi, you suck,” during her match againstVeronika Kudermetovain California.
She added, “The mind is such a big thing. If you can, like, get a professional to help you out .5 percent, that alone is worth it.”
“For me, the situation in Indian Wells — I’ve thought back on it and realize I’ve never been heckled. I’ve been booed, but not a direct yell-out thing,” she told reporters. “It kind of took me out of my element. I feel like I’m prepared for it now. I was bracing myself before the match to know it could happen. I just needed to change my mindset.”
source: people.com
